pecha and Andy...very useful advice! Thankyou. Good to hear some real life stories. I guess my biggest worry in all is not that I'll lose my bike (which is a worry too), but that I will miss too many opportunities for walking around shops/parks/walking tracks etc because I'm worried about it being stolen. I guess like many other threads and you guys have pointed out...a good chain is probably the best option. It will stop the dull thugs and kids. But won't stop the pros...but then again nothing will unless its inside a building probably.

Cheers for the stories and advice. Keep it comin!!
Rossy.

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'10 Suzuki DR650. 2011-12 Sth-Nth Chile-Alaska. Currently in Cairns, Australia. www.followtheakubra.com.au

My advice would be to do what you easily can, like get the sturdy chain or disc lock, and use your head, where youre gonna leave the bike..... and then just learn to relax, and not to worry about it all the time (that´ll be the hardest part I think, but there´s no point in using your energy for something like that!!)

One more thing: IF you use a disc-lock, dont do like I did, and try to start off with the lock still attached to the bike, because you may find that the universe has suddenly tilted 90 degrees right or left, and your foot is stuck under the bike, and you´re gonna need external help to rise up from the tarmac again! This happened to me once in Italy, and could have very easily been a trip-stopper, but I was very lucky, and my foot wasnt hurt in any way.... it had actually protected the bike from any scratches, too! But still this is highly unrecommendable, and if/when the place is crowded (like it always is, when something like this happens!) then your feeling of humiliation will be oh so thorough!

Parking the bike in a position, where you´ll need to push it back a bit to ride forward might help, if your memory is like mine, and often fails. Also a bright wire or cable from the disc-lock to the handlebar could be an idea. But the best thing is to ALWAYS use the lock, whenever you leave the bike out of sight, even if it is just for 1 minute. That way you´ll get used to always having to remove it first, before setting off.

Tens of thousands of miles on a bike in lots of very poor parts of the world: Not even the vaguest attempts of a theft of the whole bike. In Cusco, Peru a lad tried ineptly to steel my (empty) tank bag. The Hotel owner saw him and did a citizen's arrest. The lad got arrested and I asked that charges were pressed. Not sure of his physical state after being released from the jail.

Brighouse, West Yorkshire, UK (10 miles from Bradford) a couple of years ago: Locked Garage broken into by 2 lads with bolt croppers. My ex MOT station sent them (Odsal MOT, round the back of the Bradford Bulls Stadium...). Stole 2 bikes: 1 recovered immediately, the other 10 weeks later trashed.

Polis did jack sh!t. Comment by 999 despatcher when wife is on phone: "What's the point of coming to see where the vehicles used to be?" My wife's comment: "They are wheeling the bikes down the drive as I speak; You're looking for 2 bikes, or a van". It was 1am on a Monday morning in October 2008. Not exactly a motorcycle/traffic intensive time of the day/year... The polis managed to get off their fat arses at 6pm on Monday evening to visit my house/garage.

One lad (called Shane Cooper, lives in Bradford, just down the road from Odsal MOT) left a cigarette end outside our house and the polis tracked him using his DNA (He was already on their database for affray). He admitted it. They still let him off as he was only 17 and didn't know the difference between right and wrong...

Summary: You're much more likely to have your property stolen in the UK, than in any 3rd World country. The enforcement of the rule of law and the criminal justice system in the UK is sh!t IMHO. ? Rant over...


...and Out.
Chris

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TBS.com

All the above advices are wise and absolutely right.

I'd only add my suggestion which is to park your bike in front of some crowded places such as restaurants, bars and so on.
Possible thieves cannot know if the owner is inside drinking a coffee or having a meal.
I always use to do like this and I can walk around more relaxed (of course, after locking the bike).

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Nick and his 2010 Yamaha XT1200Z Super Ténéré

My story: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...ghlight=stolen

Long story short, rode half way around the world back to Scotland, spent £££s and time getting an Aussie bike registered in UK and as soon as the new reg plate was on it, it got nicked. It was chained to my other bike and covered and in a dead end side street so no through traffic.

Cops never found it or even looked for it despite me giving them a name.

While travelling, I never had a problem with anyone trying to steal the bike, it was just the stuff attached to it they were after.

One word of advice - don't ever rely on the helmet lock, use a cable/combination padlock as my helmet was nicked in KL while on the helmet lock when I nipped into a shop - they just cut the strap off it. It was on the pavement right in front of a busy shopping mall entrance and the alarm was on.

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Mike


www.singapore-scotland.blogspot.com
www.argentina-alaska.blogspot.com
My little Vid: India/Pakistan

BMW R1150GS
Suzuki DR650 SE: Ride it like ya stole it. Oh, somebody just did...

Mike...thanks for that story! Good to hear it first hand. I always wondered how your DR got pinched when I looked at your signature and thought about my beautiful DR. I can't believe someone told you what was going on yet the cops did so little. Some great pics on that link to. Himalayas?

Cheers also Chris. Some good and bad luck there too mate! I suppose you can't expect too much from the cops at the best of times.

I think I'll hire Chuck Norris for a year...I'm a scientist and I believe in natural selection. Anyone that touches me bike would get naturally selected...

A Chuck quote calls - "there is no such thing as natural selection, only a list of things Chuck Norris let live".

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'10 Suzuki DR650. 2011-12 Sth-Nth Chile-Alaska. Currently in Cairns, Australia. www.followtheakubra.com.au

I had first near miss back in 2008 at Balaton lake, Hungary. It was my first day of travel, I came to Balaton lake and lifted a tent in one of the camping areas, as it was summer there was a lot of other people there, cars, bikes, backpackers, etc... In the midle of the night Xena disc lock went off, waking up half of the camp, as my bike was right to my tent I sticked my head out within a second or two a few guys where running away. They tryed to push the bike away but they probably did't saw a disc lock. Really stealing a bike, one meter away from the owner... brainacs...
Second time was in the Armavir, Russia. I was in hotel and the bike was outside at the parking area, same scenario, someone tried to push the bike away...
Usualy hotel parking areas in Ukraine and Russia are safe, that means fence and guards. But this hotel had a little trail leading in parking area, to narrow to steal a car but more than enough for bike.
I have one method of safe kepping, send me a PM if you want. Thives also can read this posts, and we don't want that

I do the very same thing.